The genomics industry is already separating into two tiers; the
winners are those focused on targets and drug development and which
have products in or near the clinic, as well as strong
partnerships, says analyst
Bristol-Myers Squibb has filed an IND in the US seeking approval to
start clinical trials of an orally-active p38 MAP kinase inhibitor
for rheumatoid arthritis.
Needle-free injection systems are finally emerging as a serious
alternative to traditional syringes, despite first being introduced
in the middle of the last century.
Degussa follows its peers in the speciality chemicals industry by
posting weak interim results held back by currency factors, raw
material costs and lower demand.
Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis is planning to shut its only
manufacturing facility in India, at Mahad in Maharashtra, because
of increasing competition.
The UK's Genetix, which makes gene and protein research equipment,
said it had received orders from leading pharmaceutical groups for
two of its new products.
Merck KGaA buys ProteoPlex in a move designed to shore up its
position in the emerging microarray market, estimated to reach $2
billion (€1.76bn) in 2008.
Agilent launches two new products at the ongoing Drug Discovery
Technology meeting, including an LC column to remove high-abundance
proteins from serum and an oligonucleotide mouse microarray to aid
in toxicogenomics research.
Evotec OAI has posted a strong set of figures in the first half of
2003 as operating losses are trimmed by a third and EBITDA enters
positive territory.
The pharmaceutical industry is facing the possibility of earlier
generic competition for its branded products from 18 August, when
new legislation in the USA comes into effect.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare has ordered
companies to stop producing over-the-counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals
containing phenylpropanolamine (PPA), linked to an increased risk
of haemorrhagic stroke.
The organisers of CORDIA EuropaBio 2003 have revealed the keynote
speakers for the 'largest convention in Europe for trade,
investment, partnership and information exchange'.
The US FTC has taken issue with the merger between Aspen Technology
and Hyprotech in 2002, alleging that it gave the combined firm a
too-dominant position in process control software.
BASF, the world's largest chemicals company, has said that it will
expand an ongoing restructuring program in North America after
reporting lower-than-expected second-quarter sales and profits.
Bayer has reported a decline in net profits for the second quarter
of 2003, with analysts expressing concerns that litigations costs
could hold back full-year earnings.
Cambrex plans to sell off its Rutherford Chemicals business for $64
million (€56m) to allow it to focus on its human health and
biosciences activities.
KBI BioPharma, a start-up biopharma contract manufacturer, has
signed an agreement to buy a facility in North Carolina that could
be online in 6-9 months.
Swedish biotech tools company Cellectricon says it has now received
orders from three of the top five pharmaceutical companies for its
Dynaflow microfluidic chip technology for increasing productivity
in the drug discovery process.
The first vaccine targeting the strains of HIV prevalent in
sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, where millions of people are infected
with the virus, has started Phase I volunteer studies in the USA.
An Anglo-US team of researchers has unveiled the first structure of
a membrane transport protein; disruptions in the activity of MTPs
are involved in a number of diseases.
Swiss drugmaker Roche has succeeded in developing a crystalline
form of one of its pipeline compounds with the help of a US
company, TransForm Pharmaceuticals, that is applying a
high-throughput approach to form and formulation.
Cobra Biomanufacturing has signed an agreement to supply Advaxis
with clinical and commercial supplies of its Listeria
monocytogenes-based cancer vaccine.
A conference on batch process automation and asset management in
the pharmaceutical industry is scheduled to take place in Cork,
Ireland, on 22-23 October.
Qiagen has reported strong growth in sales and profits in the
second quarter as last year's acquisitions of GenoVision and
Xeragon start to exert their effects. The company has also signed
two new deals in the area of RNA interference.
Pharmagene has reported a near-doubling in turnover in the first
half of this year, on the back of strong growth in its drug
discovery services division.
Dharmacon has been awarded a US Patent (No 6,590,093) which covers
its proprietary 2'-ACE chemistry for the production of synthetic
RNA oligonucleotides.
GPC reports progress with its anti-MHC class II antibody, with
potential in a range of haematological malignancies, and says it
now has sufficient quantities to start a clinical trials programme.
The European Commission has updated its guidelines on the labelling
of excipients used in medicinal products and the manufacturing of
investigational drugs.
BASF has completed a production plant for high-purity
methanesulfonic acid, widely used in the chemical industry and in
the synthesis of pharmaceuticals.
Italy's Recordati has said that it plans to sell off its
pharmaceutical chemical activities over the next few months in
order to concentrate on pharmaceuticals.
Germany's Schott Glas has been granted a US patent on a glass
container for storing medicines that incorporates an anti-adherent
coating on its inner surface.
Botanical drug specialist Phytopharm suffered a setback yesterday
when Pfizer withdrew from a collaboration to develop P57, a drug
for obesity and metabolic syndrome.
A UK programme aimed at identifying the environmental, health and
safety, ethical and societal implications of nanotechnology has
appointed a working group to oversee the effort.
KS Biomedix has confirmed that it is in negotiations that may lead
to a merger and add to the mini-wave of consolidation sweeping over
the UK industry.
Isopak of the UK has introduced a single punch benchtop tablet
press machine that is designed to answer the needs of small
laboratories, pharmacies and hospitals.
The battle to amass intellectual property in the hot area of RNA
interference (RNAi) continues to gain pace, with one of the key
players in the category, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, licensing patents
from the UK's Cambridge Research...
